Don’t Call Me “Coach”
August 7th, 2007 by Wyatt
I apologize if I sound annoyed by this, but this is a hot button for our family. We are proud to be homeschoolers and we think it’s the best choice for David’s education that we could make. It’s not just an acceptable alternative. We are not substandard teachers. We teach David because we believe he will learn more and learn better in this environment. So, you will understand if we get a little put off by the condescension implied in this story about Oregon’s virtual public charter school by KCBY Channel 11 in Coos Bay/North Bend, Oregon.
One of the parents interviewed describes the extra effort needed to be both a mother and a “learning coach”. This is deceptive. What would any good parent do if their child were in public school? Wouldn’t you help them with homework and “coach” them with their learning? How is being a “learning coach” any different? It’s different because what they really are doing is being an assistant teacher. But, public schools can’t bring themselves to calling anyone without a teaching certificate a teacher. Guess what, gang? Stefanie and I are teachers. Deal with it.
Even so, this quote really got me:
Laura Howard, a kindergarten through second grade teacher for the academy said, “It allows people the opportunity to work with their kids from home, but also have the structure and the accountability of a public school.”
Wow. I’m so grateful that the public school system has given me permission to be involved in my child’s education. Notice that I don’t get to control any material aspects of it, though. I just get to help out with their system.
Also, don’t miss the subtle dig at homeschoolers with the bit about structure and accountability. It’s the faulty structure of public schools and the failed accountability that I’m glad we don’t have in our home. Those are precisely things we’re trying to avoid.
The bottom line is that this is a ruse. This is a sweet deal for public schools because they can tell parents they are homeschooling (which they aren’t). They are just doing public school at home. They can claim public school students and collect the funds, but there is much less overhead when these students stay home. The public school curriculum is still used. These students take the same high stakes tests their public school cousins take. There is no difference in the education.
If public schools want to offer this up as an alternative for special needs children or other cases of extenuating circumstances, that’s fine. But, to claim this is homeschooling with better structure and accountability is misleading at best. I happen to think this isn’t accidental.
October 4th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
I am sooo glad to see this. I am a “learning coach” in a virtual public school and I get extremely annoyed at that term. I am not a coach, I am their primary teacher, 3 grades (3rd,4th, and 6th). I spend between 50 and 60 hours a week on being a “learning coach” I “coach EVERY subject, read and grade every assignment, read every book that is assigned, and the only thing the “teacher” does is assess them with reading and math quizzes every month and draw a paycheck for working from home 2 hours a day while drawing their union paycheck. I do this all for free. I have a stronger math background than my 6th grader’s math “teacher” who speaks to her about 10 seconds every week. I have been doing this for 4 years now and it grates on me more and more each year. The teachers are not teaching a thing, they supervise me, that is all.
In the 4 years I have done this, I have run across one “teacher” who understands what I do and works hard to make sure I have the tools to do my job. I could do all of this without them and I would gladly do it, but I love this curriculum and it would cost me over $3000 a year to provide it for my children. Now, if we did away with the dep of ed and no one had to pay property taxes to the local public school and no more federal taxes for education, the $3000 burden would not be so bad.
Yes, I am a teacher and I have every right to be called one. To call me a “learning coach” is dishonest and insulting.